A combined DPA1~DPB1 amino acid epitope is the primary unit of selection on the HLA-DP heterodimer.

ABSTRACT: Here, we present results for DPA1 and DPB1 four-digit allele-level typing in a large (n = 5,944) sample of unrelated European American stem cell donors previously characterized for other class I and class II loci. Examination of genetic data for both chains of the DP heterodimer in the largest cohort to date, at the amino acid epitope, allele, genotype, and haplotype level, allows new insights into the functional units of selection and association for the DP heterodimer. The data in this study suggest that for the DPA1-DPB1 heterodimer, the unit of selection is the combined amino acid epitope contributed by both the DPA1 and DPB1 genes, rather than the allele, and that patterns of LD are driven primarily by dimer stability and conformation of the P1 pocket. This may help explain the differ

SUBMITTER: Hollenbach JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3395342 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature